Scientology: Religion or Cult?

It is a religion to those who practice it but since it was started by a science fiction writer one has to wonder if it in itself was never taken as a serious religion by the guy who started it but more of another project.

 

I agree. I have researched the group extensively since the early 80's and have come to believe it's, as Stu put it, a business...but legally, it has been accepted as a religion. Stu may not like that idea, neither do I, but legally it's considered a religion, therefore the very question of whether it is a religion or a cult was irrelevant, IMO.

Stu's answer was also why I chose to state the legality of it all...since I agreed with his statement, but felt it didn't actually answer her question (religion or cult). That I got slammed for it was somewhat unexpected, as I thought my original comment was benign and well within those guidelines.

 

What I find fascinating about the C. of S. is that I consider it an emerging religion. Regardless of how it began, it is fascinating to me to see how people become drawn to it. Just as the Mormons before them, and the Muslims before them, and the Christians before them, the C. of S. emerged from a small group of individuals who agreed to a foundation of ideas that formed the basis of a belief. This might not sit well with non-believers (of the C. of S.), but this is how all religions typically form. Don't agree? Then you are likely to be a member of a religion.

 

More religious belief systems have been forgotten throughout the history of mankind than exist today but for some reason the people today think that they have the "right" belief system now. I guess P.T. Barnum was right after all.

 

I agree. When I was younger I bought a book on Gods that listed thousands upon thousands of dieties throughout history. While I'm certain the book was woefully incomplete, it did satisfy the desire I had to learn more about the various types of dieties (am I spelling that right? Bah!) that humans have worshipped in the past (and present).

One thing became clear: a long lasting religion is not easy to create. This lead me back to the C. of S., as I now understood that it was an emerging religion, and it's kept me entertained ever since lol

P.S. - Barnum was absolutely right, and that was a warning to all to not be foolish. He said this knowing they would be, they can't help themselves. He made a lot of money in the meantime lol

 

It's probably deities... eh, moving on

 

He was frustrated and angry that his career was the pits. I am strongly confident that in my opinion that he created the idea purely for profit. I'd say the same about the Mormon guy too, but back then money was half the goal, power (or influence) was the other half. It also didn't help that back then people killed you for the slightest of reasons (still true today, but arguably less so *in America), therefore the protection offered by constituents cannot be overstated. Then again, leaders were often the target so how much it helped is also arguable. People who study History would probably be better sources for that info, as I'm generalizing quite a bit lol

 

Cults are just religions that aren't accepted as religions by those outside the cult. Sometimes it takes a while to graduate from cult status to being accepted by society as a full-blown religion and it doesn't happen all at once.

Mormonism is a case in point. Mormonism is the Scientology of the first half of the 19th Century. It's now almost respectable but it still has a way to go I think. Mormonism might have reached religion status by now if it weren't so intertwined with Christianity. This has held it back. For its part, Christianity used to be a cult but it's not anymore. It's a religion now. And a very touchy and jealous one. Ergo its problems with Mormonism and Mormonism's problems with it.

Scientology doesn't try to piggyback on Christianity so Americans will probably have an easier time elevating it to religious status than we would otherwise. It'll still take a while though. Hubbard will have to acquire the patina of a prophet as people forget what an unpleasant nut job he was in real life. These things take time.

 

Let us not forget Evangelicals. They are relatively new on the religious scene as well. They have only existed since the 17th century and compared to many religions, they are fairly new. Wiki has this to say about their movement:

In the first half of the 20th century, evangelicalism in America was largely synonymous with fundamentalism. George Marsden in Reforming Fundamentalism says, "There was not a practical distinction between fundamentalist and evangelical: the words were interchangeable". When the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) was formed in 1942, for example, participants included such fundamentalist leaders as Bob Jones, Sr., John R. Rice, Charles Woodbridge, Harry Ironside, and David Otis Fuller.

So, are they beyond cult status these days or can one consider them just another in the long line of new religions on the scene? Kind of makes you wonder if you could just take a piece of some belief system and throw some other stuff in and create your own religion. I think I'd be up front about the religion I create and call it the Church of the Almight Buck. And I ain't talkin' white tails here.

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I'd say the answer is yes. That's exactly what the Christians did. Islam incorporates a little of lots of things and a lot of a few things. Mormonism it pretty much made up. Most religions are probably derivative and reflections of their time.

I'll join your religion as long as you don't expect me to believe in it. It'll probably be as good as any other and better than most. Of course if I'm going to invest in this start-up I'll want a share of the proceeds. Business is business and tossing in some stained glass and fairy dust or an afterlife doesn't change that. Are you having an afterlife? I think you'll need an afterlife. Probably not a priesthood. At least not at first.
I can't wait to hear your plans for putting this thing together.